Hebrew Bible mentions a travel document a Persian emperor issued to a person called Nehemiah who was supposed to travel to rebuild Jerusalem. The document requested governors to grant Nehemiah safe passage in areas beyond the emperor’s control. This mention indicates the existence of such documents.

MEDIEVAL WORLD

Cut to 1414. The English parliament’s Act of that year talks of a travel paper or ‘safe-conduct’ document issued by the king to English subjects as well as foreign nationals. These were called passports. The word’s origin remains unclear — whether derived from people crossing maritime ports or city walls (portes in French).

MODERN WORLD

With cheaper and faster transport, global travel remained no more restricted to the privileged. Massive working-class migration occurred through the 19th and 20th centuries. With World War I, the concept of closed borders emerged and the first modern passport came into existence. Many argue that it was first proposed by the League of Nations to maintain hegemony of certain western nations in deciding ethnic characteristics of New World countries. Making a passport compulsory for international travel was the most effective tool to achieve this.

How old is India’s passport system?

The first passports in India were issued during WWI under the Defence of India Act, 1914. The Act expired six months after the war. Indian Passport Act, 1920, was enacted and eventually was renamed Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. After Independence, the ministry of external affairs took on the role of issuing passports. The first five offices were in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Nagpur. Today’s passports are issued under the Indian Passport Act of June 24, 1967.

What are the various types of passports and travel documents?

The government issues three classes of passport – ordinary, official and diplomatic. Under Passport Act, government also issues documents such as emergency certificates (to authorise a person’s entry into India) to Indian citizens whose passports have been lost/stolen or impounded in foreign countries and for those to be repatriated. Certificates of identity are also given to stateless people in India or foreigners whose country is not represented in India.

What are ECR and ECNR passports?

Emigration Check Required (ECR)-category passport holders need emigration clearance from the Protector of Emigrants’ office, Overseas Indian Affairs division in the foreign ministry, to go to 18 countries — the bulk of them in West Asia — and mainly includes those who go to work in these countries. Diplomatic passport-holders, income tax-payers and those with professional degrees etc. are exempt (ECNR category).

Are some passports more powerful than others?

Passport Index, a real-time global ranking of passports, ranks Germany as the world’s most powerful passport — its citizens have visa-free/visa-on-arrival access in 161 countries. It is followed by Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Singapore, South Korea, Spain and Sweden — each with similar access in 160 countries. Indians have similar access/admission in 55 countries.